Combination desk



Dec. 11, 1951 A. F. TUBACKI COMBINATION DESK 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Aug. 4, 1950 Fig./

Anthony E Tuback/ INVENTOR.

A. F. TUBACKI COMBINATION DESK Dec. 11, 1951 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed Aug. 4, 1950 l m R a m w N r m E m 0 M n A Q A WV NV w mm P T8 wmi A ER v 3 Patented Dec. 11, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT". OFFICE COMBINATION DESK Anthony F. Tubacki, Detroit, Mich.v Application August 4, 1950, Serial No. 17 7,575 l 8 Claims. (Cl. 312-29) This invention relates to articles of furniture.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved article of furniture which is attractive so that it may be used as a desk, the article having provision to accommodate a typewriter on one side thereof and provision to accommodate a sewing machine or other implement on the other side thereof, the sewing machine supporting portion of the article of furniture having an improved structure for holding a support in the horizontal position and for incorporating it into the makeup of the article of furniture.

A further object of this invention is to provide improved guides and guideways for the implement support panel with a suport bar capable of being swung about a hinge pin as an axis, the support bar being carried by one of the guides and adapted to releasably lock in the other of the guides so as to hold the support panel or at least help to hold the support panel in the horizontal position.

A further object of the invention is to improve the guide ways by virtue of a part thereof which is fixed to one of the doors of the article of furniture whereby when the door is in the openedposition the guideway is lengthened so that when the support panel is in the operative position it is held not only by the support bar but also by support provided at the outer part of the guides.

Ancillary objects and features of importance will become apparent in following the description of the illustrated form of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device in the fully closed condition;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a part of the device showing the arrangement whereby a sewing machine, shown in phantom, may be supported for convenient actuation;

I Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of all of the elements arranged to form the means of holding the implement, sewing machine in this instance, in the usable and stored position, and;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view in reduced scale of the assembly to hold a sewing machine.

Reference is first made to Figure 1. Here, a desk is illustrated which to all outward appearances looks to be purely conventional. The desk may be used in the capacity of a desk in an ofiice, but preferably in a home. The desk generally at Ill has in one side assembly tosupport a typewriter, this assembly being conventional as found in office furniture. The improved portion of the desk it consists of a means for supporting an implement, for example a sewing machine l4 or a writing implement, as a typewriter. In other words, the support panel l 6 may hold the sewing machine I i or another type of implement.

In this part of the desk there is a pair of sides ls'and respectively, the sides being made of usual construction, At the upper end of the side Hi there is a guideway generally indicated at 22 andconsisting of an upper bar 24 with a slot therein together with a lower bar 24 spaced from the upper bar but parallel thereto and having a slot 26 therein. At theupper endof the side 20 there is a guideway 30 consisting of an upper bar 32 with a slot therein, and a lower. bar 34 having a slot 36 therein.

A guide is located in said guideways; The guide consists of a block 38 located in the grooves of the guideway 22 and the block 40 located in the grooves of the guideway 30. A panel 42, is fixed, as by the screws 43 to the block 38 and a similar panel 46 is fixed to the block 40. Bracing connects the two panels 42 and 46 so that they must move in unison and so that a unitary assembly results. The bracing includes a brace bar or plate 48 and upwardly extending plates 56 and 52 rising from the ends thereof. I These plates 50 and 52 are held to the side panels 42' and 46 by the said screws 43. An upper bearing plate 54 is fixed to the panels 42 and 44 or the vertically rising bracing members 50 and' 52, or both, said plate 54 constituting a bearing plate inasmuch as it rests upon the inside surface of the top 58 of the desk [0. I

The support panel [6 has pivot pins 60 and 62 extending from one end thereof, these pins being parallel to each other and located on a common axis. The pins are disposed in apertures 64 and; 66 provided in the panels. This mounts the support panel l6 for pivotal movement from a vertical to a substantially horizontal position.

- When the support panel is disposed in a horizontal position the support member or bar Si is swung to a position to help or aid in holding the support panel 16 in the horizontal position. This bar is formed with a tongue 10 at one end. thereof and a lateral projection 12 at the other. end thereof. The lateral projection 12 is disposed in the notch 14 formed at the outer end of the panel 42 and a hinge 16 is employed to connect the end of the bar 68 having the lateral'projection 12, to the panel 42.

There is a notch formed in the outer end, of the panel 46 to accommodate the tongue I0 thereby lockingly holding it in place so as to form a support for the implement holding panel I6. Hence the front end of the panel I6 is supported and so is the back end thereof to provide a steady foundation for the implement or machine I4. I 7 While the support panel l6 may be. provided. with a skirt 82 to make the assembly rigid, addi! tional support for it is provided. The lower edges of the panels 46 and 42 ride on rails 86 and 88 which extend inwardly from the sides Hi and 20 below the guideways 22 and 30. As a further aid, in holding the support panel 16 so thatthe assembly will be sturdy, the door 90 which is hinged to the desk structure is provided with an upwardly opening channel 92 which constitutes an extension of the guideway 30. The upward-g swung fully upward. Then, the support bar isswung to a position perpendicular to each of the panels 42 and 46 at which position the tongue will be disposed in the notch 80. Then the support panel I6 is simply rested thereon.

While the panel I6 is being swung on its hinge pins' 60 and 62, the guide will be automatically pulled outwardly, by the same force for lifting the panel so that the lower edge of the panel 46 becomes disposed and located in the upwardly opening channel 92.

In order to hold the door in the open condition as disclosed in Figure 2, the conventional locking device 95 operativelyconnected to the door 90 and the side is used.

It will be noted further from Figure 2 that the panel l6 for supporting the implement and its skirt 82 is sufiiciently thick and so arranged-that the upper surface of the panel 3 is above the edge of top 58 of the desk thereby providing a substantially planar surface including the top 58 of the desk and thepanel [6. It is thus impossible for anyone to push the panel and guide inwardly of the desk inasmuch as the back edge of the skirt or of the panel will strike the front edge of' the desk. A felt bumper may be provided on the panel or skirt to preventmarring of the top of the desk.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. As an article of furniture, a desk having a top, a first side and a second side, means for supporting an implement in a horizontal position, said means comprising a first guideway in said first side and a second guideway in said second side, a first guide located in said first guideway, a second guide located in said second guideway, a support panel for said implement, means pivotal- 1y connecting the inner end of said support panel to said guides for swinging movement from a substantially vertical to a substantially horizontal position, and a support member hinged to said first guide to hold said support panel in thesub stantially horizontal position.

2. As an article f furniture, adesk having a top, a first side and a second side, means for sup-' porting an implement in a horizontal position, said means comprising a first guideway in said first side and a second guideway in said second side, a first guide located in said first guideway, a second guide located in said second guideway, a support panel for said implement, meanspivotally connecting the inner end of said support panel to said guides for swinging movement from a substantially vertical to a substantially horizontal position, a support member hinged to said first guide to hold said support panel in the substantially horizontal position, said desk having a door, and means secured to said door' and located on the inside surface thereof constituting a part of one of said guideways when said door is in the open position.

3. As an article of furniture, a desk having a top, a first side and a second side, means for supporting an implement in a horizontal position, said means comprising a first guideway in said first side and a second guideway in said 'sec=' 0nd side, a first guide located in said first guideway, a secondguide locatedin said second guideway, a support panel for said implement, means pivotally connecting the inner end of said support panel to said guides for swinging movement from a substantially vertical to a substantially horizontal position, and a support member hinged to said first guide to hold said support panel in the substantially horizontal position, said support member comprising a bar, and said second guideway having a notch therein to accommodate a part of said support bar.

4. The combination of claim. 1 and said guides having bracing connecting them for uniform movement, and a bearing plate forming a part of said bracing and arranged to engage the lower surface of the top of the desk to aid in supporting said support panel.

5. In a device for supporting an implement, a pair of sides with guideways therein, guides comprising a block disposed in each guideway, a panel secured to each block, bracing rigidly connected to said panels, a support bar hinged to the forward end of one of said panels, the other panel having a notch therein constituting a seat for said support bar, and an implement support panel pivoted to said first mentioned panels.

6. In a device for supporting an implement, a

pair of sides with guideways therein, guides comprising a block disposed in each guideway, a panel secured to each block, bracing rigidly connected to said panels, a support bar hinged to the forward end of one of said panels, the other panel having a notch therein constituting a seat for said support bar, and an implement support panel pivoted to said first mentioned panels, rails secured to said sides below said guideways, and said first mentioned panels being slidable therev 7. As an article of furniture, a. desk having a top, a first side and a second side, means for supporting an implement in a horizontal position, said means comprising a first guideway in said first side and a second guideway in said second side, a first guide located in said first guideway, a second guide located in said second guideway, a support panel for said implement, means pivotally connecting the inner end of said support panel to said guides for swinging movement from a substantially vertical to a substantially horizontal position, asupport member hinged to said first guide to hold said support panel in the substantially horizontal position, said desk having a door and means secured to said door and located on the inside surface thereof constituting a part of one of said guideways when said door is in the open position, an'd a locking device operatively connected with said door and a part of the desk to lock said door in a selected position.

8. The combination of claim 1 and said implement support panel being located in a single horizontal plane with the top of the desk when said support panel is in the horizontal position.

ANTHONY F. TUBACKI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references, are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 546,647 Barnes Sept. 24, 1895 1,294,351 Tanner Feb. 11, 1919 1,908,418 Guthrie May 9, 1933 2,248,049 Anderson July 8, 1941 2,345,254 Giafi r Mar. 28, 1944 

